January 2nd - January 9th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
January 2nd, the Year MCCCXLVIII
Hearth Fire has been ill since New Year’s Eve and was unable to meet with me and Ford today to discuss the official announcement. It is unusual for him to be sick for such a long period. Despite his hopes, he has been feeling worse. I have ordered the infirmary team to care for him around the clock, despite his protests.
As much as I would like to avoid it, the Annual Address has been postponed until Hearth Fire is well again. He needs to know the full information before we continue on. Ford agrees but the extended waiting will be murderous for his already destroyed nerves. I cannot say I am enjoying it myself.
For now, we wait.
January 3rd, the Year MCCCXLVIII
Poison. Hearth Fire has been severely poisoned. If I hadn’t given him the direct order to report to the infirmary...
The entire palace is on lockdown while the source is investigated. Every food item we have, and every water source, is being thoroughly searched in the possible event that they have been contaminated. Even some of the old wine cellars that have been left untouched for years to let the product ferment are being searched. It is entirely possible that if Hearth Fire has been poisoned, so have all of us and the effects simply have yet to reach. We are already in grave danger; soon we may all be fighting for our lives.
The lockdown will continue well into tomorrow. The search will be thorough and slow to ensure accuracy. Hearth Fire’s current danger is life-threatening, and it is uncertain if he will survive. I cannot bear the thought of it happening to another.
Ford, for the time being, has taken an unexpected level of seniority within the investigation. Being Hearth Fire’s right hand, he has experience few other soldiers do, and his aid to the subordinate officers is impeccable. He will be kept busy for some time.
I do not wish to lose my Commander now. My thoughts turn to Faell’s words all those years ago- the Man of Black. Is this his doing? Has he been biding his time for this long, waiting for an opportunity to strike? And if he did, why not me? Wasn’t I his target? What about Hearth Fire is so critical that he would spoil his one chance to kill me?
January 5th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
Hearth Fire will survive. The worst of the poisoning has left his system, but the toll on his body has been tremendous. He has been ravaged, and it will be some time until he fully recovers.
Ford and I both agree: to reveal ourselves to him now when his health is frail would be dangerous. The announcement will have to wait until he is fully healthy.
My soldiers continue to investigate the incident in the hopes of discovering the source, or even who is responsible. So far, no sign has been found, and we all wonder how someone could have poisoned the one meal without poisoning the entire batch- or how it went unnoticed. I can only pray that something is found- and soon.
The Man of Black… why is the name so familiar to me, and why does it stir this sense of déjà vu? I feel like I should know something about this… but I don’t. What is wrong with me?
January 6th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
We have received a request for aid from Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire. The details were not very specific in her letter, but it seems one of her citizens died under unknown circumstances, and both she and Shining Armor are suspicious of it all. They request myself and my Royal Guard as a consultant. With Hearth Fire still under care, he has charged Ford with taking his place as my aide for the visit.
Twilight has been frantic in her investigations on immortality as I had requested, but I have sent for her as well. A magic user as powerful as her is not to be held back, nor do I wish to not make use of her wondrous intellect. It will take her some time to join us, as she is currently on the southwestern coast, but she will eventually make her way north.
Ford and I travel light, and are already on our way. We have been moving slowly, the train constantly delayed by poor weather. It has been years since the Crystal Empire has seen winter storms as unforgiving as this. What on earth is causing this?
January 7th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
It is strange. Such an odd event, and no way to explain how it occurred, or even why. Suspicious? Not entirely? Disturbing? Assuredly.
Ford and I arrived in the Crystal Empire early this morning, the sun only just beginning to rise on the eastern horizon as we disembarked from the train and directly into a vicious snowstorm. Shining Armor was there to greet us and guide us to the palace, a detachment of his finest guards moving alongside us. Few words were spoken, and if any more had been said they were devoured by the howling of the wind. Nature was unleashing it wrath upon us in full force.
“Princess Celestia! It’s wonderful to see you again- I only wish it wasn’t under such miserable circumstances,” Cadance said as we entered the Crystal Palace, rushing to greet us with her usual warmth, though her face spoke to her concern. “I am very glad you came so quickly.”
“Likewise, Cadance,” I said in return, genuinely glad to see my young niece. “Has your family been faring well these past few days?”
Cadance’s expression only soured further as she shook her head. “The winter has been cruel these past several days. Flurry has been restless, and Gleaming Shield seems to cry constantly. I worry something worse than the weather troubles them.”
“Has there been unrest, Your Highness?” Ford asked, stepping forward and coming beside me.
Cadance’s gaze settled upon him and she suddenly appeared to be surprised, her eyes flickering back to me for only a heartbeat before returning to Ford. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” she said lightly. “What is your name, soldier?”
“Sergeant Saber Ford, Your Highness. I am here in the place of Commander Hearth Fire by his personal request.”
“Has something happened to the Commander?” Shining Armor asked, joining on the conversation. He and Hearth Fire had been well acquainted during their years serving together, Hearth Fire having been Shining Armor’s subordinate and protégé. It was no surprise he was so dully concerned.
“He is currently recovering from illness, sir,” Ford replied, the military air and professionalism of Shining Armor immediately endearing him to my beloved. “He asked that I come in his stead, while he deals with recovery and maintaining security at the palace.”
“Has something happened?” Ford’s words were political and revealed little, but Shining Armor was keen enough to know something was amiss.
“Hearth Fire was poisoned. By whom we don’t know,” I answered. “He will survive, but his health is still too weak to travel.”
Cadance and Shining Armor shared a glance. “An attempted murder in Canterlot, a potential murder here… someone is moving against Equestria.”
“A potential murder?”
“Before I speak further, let’s adjourn to the parlor,” Cadance said. “You both look frozen stiff, and the fire should be roaring. I’ll have refreshments brought in for us as well.”
The idea was appealing and I agreed promptly, the four of us setting off down the hall to our destination. Ford and Shining Armor began to grow a rapport through their shared experience of service, Shining asking Ford of life in Canterlot and his work with the Guard.
“This is the one you once wrote to me about, isn’t he?” Cadance asked, leaning in to whisper into my ear. “Your beloved?”
“Fiance now,” I replied quietly, and Cadance’s eyes danced with delight. “We were going to announce it last week, but when Hearth Fire became ill…”
“How did Luna take it?” she asked.
“You could easily guess,” I said, and Cadance giggled. She knew my sister well.
“So, what is this potential murder you speak of?” I asked when we at last settled down, I taking a seat close to the fire, Ford to my left beside me.
“We aren’t sure, but the entire circumstance is strange,” Shining Armor answered. “Two days ago, the librarian for the Crystal library was found dead in the library halls, with no sign of injury on her body anywhere. We searched the entire building but found no sign of forced entry, and no sign that anyone else had been in the building with her- what little money she had on her hadn’t been touched.”
“Was it a medical emergency that killed her?” Ford asked.
“That was our thought as well, but the coroner said there was no evidence of it,” Shining replied. “No heart attack, stroke, or seizure of any kind. It was as if she simply up and died right where she stood for no reason at all. Nor was she old, where age would threaten her daily life.”
“Was there any history about her?” I pressed.
“Quiet, rather reserved, and fairly demure. She was not the kind to make enemies easily,” Cadance said. “Shining and I have wracked our brains over this but can think of nothing. We were hoping that you would have something to suggest.”
“We might. But not here, not unless we see the library itself,” I said. “For- Sergeant, any suggestions to make?”
Ford peered into the fire as he considered his thoughts, evaluating the evidence before him. “Would a spell of some kind leave any trace on her body? A burn mark, or something similar?”
“Without a doubt. Magic is energy, no matter what it is used for,” I said.
“So the thought that a magic user could have killed her is out of the question,” he remarked. “Well then… a healthy woman dies with not a scratch on her, no sign of forced entry, no monetary theft made, no medical history, no magic- poison, maybe? Just as with Commander Hearth Fire? But then you’d have to ask who would want a librarian dead, and for what cause… Right now, Your Majesty, I do not have any reasonable assumptions to make. I would need to see more.”
We were still stumped. “How soon can we leave for the library?” I asked.
Shining Armor checked the clock upon the walls. “The storms usually die down the more the sun rises,” he said. “Perhaps in another hour the weather will have cleared enough for us to venture further. I’m sorry for the delay.”
“I’m going to check on Flurry and Shield while we wait,” Cadance said, rising to her feet and gesturing towards me. “Auntie, you should come with me. My little girls would love to see you again.”
The next hour or so was spent in relative peace, I delighted to spend my brief period of rest with Flurry Heart and Gleaming Shield. It was my first time meeting Cadance’s youngest, who looked so similar to her father. Even her expression, inquisitive and wide-eyed, resembled her daddy’s childhood appearance. It was a wonderful time that I wished had been able to last longer.
The hour passed quickly- too quickly for my liking. As Cadance and I spent our time with her children, a knock came at the door and Ford appeared.
“My apologies, Your Majesty,” he said, “but the storm has lessened. We are prepared to investigate the library, if you are ready.”
“Yes, of course,” I said, rising to my feet, and giving my goodbyes to the children.
“I never knew how much I would come to adore them,” Cadance remarked. “Tell me, Ford. Have you wondered what would happen if you and Celestia had children?”
Cadance’s tone was gentle and teasing, but Ford’s shock was too great for him to notice. His face turned pale and his eyes remained as wide as dinner plates.
“Yes, I know. I guessed the moment you walked in the door with her,” she said pleasantly. “I’m the Princess of Love, Ford- did you really think it would be hidden from me?”
Ford failed to muster an answer, and I took him to my side as we departed, Cadance and I both laughing all the while. It was poor sport to tease him so, but it was too good a moment to resist.
The trip to the library was frigid. Though the wind had died, the snowfall was still ever constant as we made the journey, slowing our steps and chilling us to the bone. I took point and did my best to melt a path through the thicker snow, but it still fell at our feet and covered the ground till the whole world was white.
“I have not seen a winter this heavy in all our time here,” Cadance said as we entered the library. “This storm has been one of several, ever since November. They have only grown worse.”
It was unusual. Another addition to the strange events that had been occurring these past few days, as though some fell presence had turned its will against us. I did not like it.
“Where was she found?” Ford asked aloud, his gaze searching across the massive library. It was a glorious place, filled with ancient tomes and materials from days gone by.
“This way. She was found along the rear hall near the offices. We think she had made her way there from locking the doors to fulfill all her last matters for the day,” Shining Armor answered.
When we reached the area, we found the hallway had been sealed off, and an outline on the floor had been made to show where her body had lain. Ford came down beside it as though he hoped to find some unseen clue. “When she was found, was her face facing up or down towards the floor?”
“Upwards,” Shining replied.
“So… her right hand was here, and her left at her side. Like she simply fell to the floor limp,” Ford murmured. “And you said there was no sign of injury to her body whatsoever?”
“None. There was some faded scarring on her left leg, but it was a wound we guessed to be several years old. Maybe even a birthmark.”
Ford gave a groan, trying to gather his mind around the conundrum. “So, a woman dies randomly with no signs of ill health, and no indicator of aggression against her. It doesn’t make sense, people do not just up and die.” He turned to me. “Your Majesty, you know the ancient things of the world better than anyone in the world. “Is there something you can think of that might have done such a thing?”
“All magic leaves a mark. No matter how powerful, there is always a trace of it,” I said. “I am sorry.”
The four of us stood there in silence, either frustrated or left clueless as to our next move. It was all so strange, and no reasonable way to make sense of it all. Just what could have happened here?
“Where is her office?” Ford asked slowly.
“In the back, down the hall,” Shining Armor said. “What do you hope to find?”
“At this point, anything, sir,” Ford replied. “I wonder what she was doing before she died, maybe something worthwhile- aha!”
“What is it?” I asked.
Ford raced over to the desk, grabbing hold of the materials left out upon it. “She was in the midst of something! She certainly didn’t die of her own volition! Hmm… Sir, was this library closed at the time of her death?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
“It seems she was performing an inventory of sorts. A catalogue of all the books in the library,” Ford mused. “She was making a detailed list of everything here… I wonder, maybe… has the library’s contents been fully checked?”
“You think this was a theft turned murder?”
“What if she was looking for something- one specific thing?” Ford said. “She was cataloguing the entire library- that’s thousands of books. But who’s going to know which ones are missing better than the librarian? Someone may have come back to kill her in the hopes of hiding it.”
“It is a good theory, Ford,” I said, “but you still have the problem that there is no physical indication of a murder.”
Ford was frustrated by my unwillingness to agree, but he remained resolute. “She was here in this room, then –I am only guessing aloud- she made her way down the hall towards the exit. Was she fleeing something? Was she being chased? Either way, she only made it so far. So if someone had attacked her, it started here in this room.”
Shining Armor, who had remained silent for a time, gave a quick intake of breath. “He may have something. If we searched the wrong room- check everything.”
The four of us turned to every corner and cranny of the office, looking for something askew. It was not a large room by any means, and if there was any sign of forced entry surely we would have found it by now.
As I passed by the window, I gave a start as though a nerve had been pinched. I must have given a small sound of pain, for Ford suddenly was by my side immediately after. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“I am fine,” I said. “I just felt- just a pain in my fingers, it was only for a moment. Most likely a splinter or something small.”
“Where?”
“I was tracing the wall, feeling for something below the window- ah!” My hand found the source once more and I flinched away instantly. Something along the wall, just below the window, had torn at my fingers yet drew no blood nor left a scratch.
Ford took my hand away from it and peered intently at where my hand had been, scrutinizing something with a violent intensity. “Captain Armor,” he said aloud, “I think I have something.”
“What have you found?”
“Look at this scarring on the wall,” Ford said, pointing to a small black mark just below the pane, a crisscross pattern of what appeared to be a black scorch mark. “Someone has burned this wall.”
“Gods above,” Shining said, “That’s the same scar pattern as was on the librarian’s leg.”
“Are you certain?” Ford asked.
“Absolutely.”
“Then someone was here. Someone did attack our librarian, and likely killed her,” Ford said grimly. “That burn mark is relatively fresh- only a few days. Whoever left this is the one responsible for this murder.”
I stared at the pattern, something about it ringing in my mind as though it were familiar. I could not put my finger quite on it, but it was as though I had forgotten something in regards to it. A memory long left behind. The more I stared, the more the feeling intensified, growing ever stronger- even as a faintness in my heart began to overwhelm me. I faltered, suddenly feeling sick.
“My Lady!” Ford took me to his side, holding me fiercely as though he feared I would faint. “Are you alright?”
“I am unwell,” I said, my voice far weaker than I had hoped it would be. “I will be fine.”
“Auntie, please- you should rest. Maybe the weather has made you ill. Come back to the palace and stay with us tonight,” Cadance said.
Against my will, I was led away, the sickness coming with a feeling of dread I could not shake. Something sinister was at play here, and it meant violence against us all.
January 8th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
Someone breached the Crystal Palace last night. An attempt on Flurry and Shield has been made.
Ford and I are agreed. The Man of Black is here.
During the night, I awoke in a cold sweat, my body burning despite the frigid air. I felt a nausea in me, a sickness as wrathful as anything I have ever felt. My vision was faded, my head pulsed as the heat raged within me. I staggered to the door in the hopes of finding the bathroom, either to cool myself down or be violently sick.
When I entered the hall, a blackness thicker than any shadow fell upon me, enveloping me and all my senses until everything I saw had been clouded by darkness. It burned at my skin, tore at my eyes as though it were smoke, the hallway itself obscured and marred. And there at the end of the hallway, standing dead center of the hallway near the window, was a vaguely familiar silhouette that faced towards me.
Why did my bones quake within me? Why did my heart skip a beat? Something about it was horribly familiar, a powerful horror on me as though spawned from the most nightmarish of hells. I warned myself it was a dream, a falsity conjured from within my brain. All of that faded away when it spoke in a voice that grated and shattered words within it as though it were rock.
“Princess… Harlot… betrayer…” it spoke, the words broiling the air until I feared the whole world would burst into flame, and a scorching, searing pain held its grip on my arms and I began to scream.
I suddenly found myself on the floor and gasping for air, a sudden light flaring in the hall as Ford appeared before me, a look of terror upon his face. “Tia! Are you alright, are you hurt? Answer me!” His panic was absolute, born from his loyalty and love that now agonized him.
I struggled to answer for a time, coughing and spluttering as though I had swallowed smoke, still feeling the remnant burns upon my arms. I examined them but found no mark, though the pulsing pain still remained.
“Tia, please, answer me,” Ford said, holding me close as his voice sounded on the verge of tears. “Say something. Are you hurt?”
“I do not know,” I finally managed to say. “Someone has been here. The Man of Black is here.”
“Can you stand? We need to search the palace, he may still be here,” Ford said, trying to get me to my feet- suddenly turning about and shielding me as heavy footsteps came rushing down the hallway. “Reveal yourself!” Ford roared, drawing his sword and standing ready to attack.
A Crystal Guard appeared before us, his hands raised in supplication. “I mean no harm, solar warrior,” he said. “I have been sent by the Crystal Princess- she requests the presence of Princess Celestia immediately.”
“We shall be there shortly. Send word to Her Highness,” Ford said, turning his back on the guard and returning to me. “Are you able to stand?”
My legs were shaky but I remained determined. “We shall make our way slowly,” I declared, leaning on Ford’s arm for support. I felt ashamed; few vile things in the world had worn me down in such a way. I had been brought low by something beyond the realms of usual evil.
When we reached the royal chambers, the crying of Flurry Heart and Gleaming Shield could be easily heard. We were let through immediately, Cadance comforting her children while Shining Armor stood as though he were ready to draw swords at that very moment.
“Auntie, someone was in the palace with us!” Cadance cried, more distraught than I had ever seen her in all my years. “It was in our room- it attacked my children!”
“It attacked my lady as well,” Ford said grimly. “I believe the librarian’s murderer knows that we are on his trail. This may be a very well-laid plan.”
“We are searching the palace now, but having your presence here may deter him,” Shining Armor said, though his expression at the sight of me suggested his doubts. “Did you see who it was?”
“Only his shadow- and what a shadow he had!” I said. “This is not a normal man. This is something far worse. I believe our Man of Black is here in the Crystal Empire.”
Ford and I told them the story, wishing ourselves to be awake until the sun rose. Even now as I write this, watching the sun fall on the western horizon, I fear what the darkness will bring. I fear the darkness that will come with the night.
January 9th, the Year MCCCXLVIII
I-
He-
It-
We-
I do not know how to write this. How could I possibly know what to say here? Is there any way I could hope to describe this well enough? It is not possible, not even in the darkest of nightmares. I may never truly know how it can be.
We have found the Man of Black.
A series of marks were found all across the palace in the morning; vile, heinous things that spoke of foul sorcery. It was such a thing that had not been seen in Equestria since its darkest days over a thousand years ago. Its familiarity again called to me, as though I should know it by memory. And along with it, a sharp, unbreaking dread.
Shining Armor’s guards had been hard at work ever since the intrusion the other night, following a trail that led out into the mountain wilds beyond the city’s borders. A patrol was sent to investigate- they never returned.
Deciding that sending in further reinforcement was foolish, Cadance and I declared that we would venture there ourselves. Two powerful spellcasters would have to be up to the challenge of whatever lurked in the mountains. Of course, Ford and Shining Armor balked at our journeying alone. Though I feared for his safety, I placated Ford and allowed him to come with us.
Our journey bode ill straight from its beginning. The wrath of winter came in full force, only increasing as we continued on. We could barely see, every movement on was a struggle. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. When we finally arrived to the location where contact had been lost, we found a pathway into the mountains lying as though it waited for us- its entire breadth covered in that foul mark, every single one of them fresh and still smoking as though it had just been scorched into the rock.
I felt that horrible sickness in my blood again, and I dreaded what I would find in this mountain path. Just who was the Man of Black? Why did his name sound so familiar to me? And just what was he capable of? I feared what we would discover- but onward we pressed.
The shadows of the day grew stronger as we moved forth, an unnatural thing as though the light was being drawn, torn away from us. Even I, the radiance of the sun within me, struggled to push it away. A foul, monstrous thing had set its will against us.
As we continued into the mountains, the path began to narrow and suddenly became black as the mouth of a single, solitary cave opened up before us, a vast thing that looked more akin to the gaping jaws of a monstrous leviathan. I looked upon it and my dread became a tangible, breathable thing. Whatever lurked within that cave was surely what we sought, and an evil far more sinister than we could have dared to imagine.
“Celestia, don’t go in there,” Ford said, his voice weary and pleading. I looked at him and saw that his body strained, pushing against the veil of darkness that had fallen upon us. “Whatever is in there will kill you. I beg you, don’t go any further.”
“Princess Celestia, we must go back,” Shining Armor said, trying his best to help Cadance stay upright. “That cave holds something evil. Let us return to the palace and muster a force to stop it. We cannot endure this alone.”
I knew his fear. I felt it myself. But I knew that if we left now, we would surely allow our foe to escape and elude us longer- perhaps he would find some other poor soul too destroy. As much as I wished otherwise, I knew we could not turn back now. The time had come.
“We will make our foe show himself,” I said simply, raising my hand and pointing it straight towards the cave mouth. A bright, glowing fireflash of light grew within my palm, growing ever brighter until it became a miniature sun that burned the area and tore back against the darkness. Before it could ignite in my hands I released it, firing the pulse into the cave, watching as it illuminated the entrance at a blinding speed- until it was smothered by shadow.
Tentacles of darkness ripped out from its hiding place and tore at the rocks. A horrific, screaming sound erupted through the skies and threatened to shatter the very skies. A massive, pulsating thing appeared from within the depths of the earth until it seemed as though the whole world could not contain its mass. The shadow took form and turned it seething, writhing face towards me, its eyes a wicked green and violet that spoke of an ancient, torturous wrath now revealed to the world once again. My heart was pierced as that baleful gaze settled upon me, and I felt it smile.
There was no mistaking that gaze. Sombra.
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Well... I almost forgot him.
Good twist anyways.
I mean, my avatar alone is probably the only thing needed to see why this is a pleasant turn of events for me.
As always, these are some pretty neat updates. Y'know shit's getting serious when 'harlot' is tossed around.
It says a lot about Twilight that the potential aging of her former mentor's lover is what drives her interest into preventing death by old age, not her own friends or family.
9588542
Right now, she doesn't even know Saber Ford exists. She's just researching the topic at Celestia's request.
Sombra?! Well, hopefully his voice actor is better than the guy from the season premiere. He sucked.
9595760
The voice I hear in my head for him is a mix of two, the guttural growl of the Fanatic from Destiny, and the thunderous boom of the Gravemind from Halo, particularly when he's in shadow form.
9595778
Huh, I know both of those things.
Hello fellow gamer.
9851096
Hola.